Apparatus, Method, and Computer Program for Scheduling Transmissions

1. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: sense at least one beam, the at least one beam comprising a gNodeB reception beam and an associated gNodeB transmission beam; determine that a channel on the at least one beam is idle during a listening period; based on determining that the channel on the at least one beam is idle during the listening period, initiate a channel occupancy time based on the sensing; transmit at least one first downlink transmission on the at least one beam during the channel occupancy time, wherein the at least one first downlink transmission on the at least one beam triggers at least one first uplink transmission on the at least one beam during the channel occupancy time; receive the at least one first uplink transmission on the at least one beam during the channel occupancy time; determine user equipment interference conditions on the at least one beam based on the at least one first uplink transmission, wherein the user equipment interference conditions are one of: low, high, or very high; determine, based on the determined user equipment interface conditions, presence and conditions for scheduling opportunities for the at least one beam; and based on the presence and conditions; schedule at least one second downlink transmission or at least one second uplink transmission on the at least one beam with restriction during a rest of the channel occupancy time when the user equipment interference conditions meets at least one threshold requirement, wherein the restriction restricts a number and a duration of the at least one second downlink transmission or a number and a duration of the at least one second uplink transmission, schedule at least a second downlink transmission or at least one uplink transmission on the at least one beam during the rest of channel occupancy time without restriction when the user equipment interference conditions are low; schedule at least second downlink transmission or at least one uplink transmission on the at least one beam during the rest of channel occupancy time with restriction when the user equipment interference conditions are high; and schedule no second downlink transmission or at least one uplink transmission on the at least one beam during the rest of channel occupancy time when the user equipment interference conditions are very high.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the presence refers to whether the at least one first uplink transmission and the at least one first downlink transmission are to be scheduled in another phase, and wherein the conditions refer to one or more of the following: a duration, a backoff before the next COT, a maximum transmission power, a power Spectral density, a maximum effective radiated power (EIRP), a minimum antenna gain or other.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one first downlink transmission comprises downlink control information.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one first downlink transmission comprises multiple first downlink transmissions.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the at least one first downlink transmission comprises downlink data.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the at least one beam comprises one beam and wherein the at least one first downlink transmission comprises one or more first downlink transmissions per beam.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the one or more first downlink transmissions are consecutive.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one first uplink transmission comprises uplink control information; and uplink data.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one first uplink control transmission comprises a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement and a channel state channel state information report.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the number and duration of the at least one second downlink transmission and at least one second uplink transmission is specific per beam or beam pair link.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one first downlink transmission is addressed to multiple terminals; wherein the at least one second downlink transmission is addressed to the multiple terminals; wherein the at least one first uplink transmission is received from the multiple terminals; and wherein the at least one second uplink transmission is received from the multiple terminals.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one first downlink transmission is addressed to a terminal; and wherein the at least one second downlink transmission is addressed to the terminal; or wherein the at least one first uplink transmission is received from the terminal; or wherein the at least one second uplink transmission is received from the terminal.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one first downlink transmission comprises a number of first downlink transmission lower than a predetermined maximum number.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user equipment interference conditions are low when a quality metrics indicated by the at least one first uplink transmission is greater than a first threshold; wherein the user equipment interference conditions are high when the quality metrics indicated by the at least one first uplink transmission is between the first threshold and a second threshold; and wherein the user equipment interference conditions are very high when the quality metrics indicated by the at least one first uplink transmission is greater than the second threshold or no first uplink transmission is received.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the quality metrics or the previous quality metrics comprises one or more of a channel quality indicator, a reference signal received power or a ratio of positive acknowledgements over positive and negative acknowledgments.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the restriction comprises a maximum number and a maximum duration of the at least one second downlink transmission or a maximum number and a maximum duration of the at least one second uplink transmission.

17. A method comprising: sensing at least one beam, the at least one beam comprising a gNodeB reception beam and an associated gNodeB transmission beam; determine that a channel on the at least one beam is idle during a listening period; based on determining that the channel on the at least one beam is idle during the listening period, initiating a channel occupancy time based on the sensing; transmitting at least one first downlink transmission on the at least one beam during the channel occupancy time, wherein the at least one first downlink transmission on the at least one beam triggers at least one first uplink transmission on the at least one beam during the channel occupancy time; receiving the at least one first uplink transmission on the at least one beam during the channel occupancy time; determining user equipment interference conditions on the at least one beam based on the at least one first uplink transmission, wherein the user equipment interference conditions are one of: low, high, and very high; determining, based on the determined user equipment interface conditions, presence and conditions for scheduling opportunities for the at least one beam, wherein the presence refers to whether the at least one first uplink transmission and the at least one first downlink transmission are to be scheduled in another phase, and wherein the conditions refer to one or more of the following: a duration, a backoff before the next COT, a maximum transmission power, a power spectral density, a maximum effective radiated power (EIRP), a minimum antenna gain or other; and based on the presence and conditions, scheduling at least one second downlink transmission or at least one second uplink transmission on the at least one beam with restriction during a rest of the channel occupancy time when the interference condition meets at least one threshold requirement, wherein the restriction restricts a number and a duration of the at least one second downlink transmission or a number and a duration of the at least one second uplink transmission; scheduling at least a second downlink transmission or at least one uplink transmission on the at least one beam during the rest of channel occupancy time without restriction when the user equipment interference conditions are low; scheduling at least second downlink transmission or at least one uplink transmission on the at least one beam during the rest of channel occupancy time with restriction when the user equipment interference conditions are high; and scheduling no second downlink transmission or at least one uplink transmission on the at least one beam during the rest of channel occupancy time when the user equipment interference conditions are very high.

18. A non-transitory computer program product comprising computer executable instructions which when executed on one or more processors cause an apparatus at least to: sense at least one beam, the at least one beam comprising a gNodeB reception beam and an associated gNodeB transmission beam; determine that a channel on the at least one beam is idle during a listening period; based on determining that the channel on the at least one beam is idle during the listening period, initiate a channel occupancy time based on the sensing; transmit at least one first downlink transmission on the at least one beam during the channel occupancy time, wherein the at least one first downlink transmission on the at least one beam triggers at least one first uplink transmission on the at least one beam during the channel occupancy time; receive the at least one first uplink transmission on the at least one beam during the channel occupancy time; determine user equipment interference conditions on the at least one beam based on the at least one first uplink transmission, wherein the user equipment interference conditions are one of: low; high; or very high; determine, based on the determined user equipment interface conditions, presence and conditions for scheduling opportunities for the at least one beam, wherein the presence refers to whether the at least one first uplink transmission and the at least one first downlink transmission are to be scheduled in another phase, and wherein the conditions refer to one or more of following: a duration, a backoff before the next COT, a maximum transmission power, a power spectral density, a maximum effective radiated power (EIRP), a minimum antenna gain or other; and based on the presence and conditions: scheduling at least one second downlink transmission or at least one second uplink transmission on the at least one beam with restriction during a rest of the channel occupancy time when the user equipment interference condition meet at least one threshold requirement, wherein the restriction restricts a number and a duration of the at least one second downlink transmission or a number and a duration of the at least one second uplink transmission; schedule at least a second downlink transmission or at least one uplink transmission on the at least one beam during the rest of channel occupancy time without restriction when the user equipment interference conditions are low; schedule at least second downlink transmission or at least one uplink transmission on the at least one beam during the rest of channel occupancy time with restriction when the user equipment interference conditions are high; and schedule no second downlink transmission or at least one uplink transmission on the at least one beam during the rest of channel occupancy time when the user equipment interference conditions are very high.